


There Were Flowers

by Mersheeple



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, HP: EWE, Severus Snape Lives, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-04-18 01:20:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14201916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mersheeple/pseuds/Mersheeple
Summary: Everything was changing for Hermione Granger. And through all the moments that were important to her...there were flowers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first Snamione fic! The idea came for me a while back and now it won't leave me alone so...hopefully I can get it all written.

Hermione Granger walked into the Great Hall, her feet heavy and her eyes swimming with unshed tears. The bodies of students and Order members alike lay on the floor, some covered in blankets while others had family and friends shielding them from view. She saw Colin Creevey's face disappear under another blanket, laid out to shield others from the horrors of war. She heard a choked sob coming from her left and saw the Weasleys huddled around the body of one of the twins, Fred she realised with a start. Her hand flew to her mouth as she realised the last words she had said to him.

"Look after George won't you? He's at a disadvantage after the accident..." She had wrapped her arms around Fred and kissed his cheek before they had entered the Great Hall last time, before the battle had begun.

She needed to get out, needed to escape the lingering smell of death and destruction. Her heart fell heavy and she knew she needed to do sonething, anything she could to help save someone, anyone. Just one person. Just one. Her hand brushed against the tassels of her extended bag and it suddenly hit her. If she was quick...if she had enough...maybe, maybe she could save someone that mattered.

She slipped away unseen, running from the Great Hall to the Whomping Willow, casting Immobulus as she approached and diving down the secret passage at the base of the tree. She ran along the passageway and into the Shrieking Shack, immediately inhaling the pungent smell of the stale air. She reached into her bag and started pulling out several vials she had stashed just in case the boys ever needed it.

She made her way into the room where his body lay prone, his blood seeping into the wooden floorboards and leaving a vile coppery smell in the air. She uncorked her Essence of Dittany and approached his body with care and no small amount of trepidation. First, she needed to close his wounds.

Hermione pulled the outer lapels of his coat apart and winced at the sight of the bites on his chest, abdomen and neck. She was thankful in that moment that he was unconscious and would not feel what was going to happen next. The first drops of Dittany hitting his skin made a soft hissing noise as the lacerations began to close, leaving too tight bright pink scars in its wake. She added extra drops of Dittany to his neck, hoping it would heal his throat enough that his voice would not be damaged. The man had little enough going for him without losing his most charismatic feature.

She took a breath steadying herself as she pulled her wand out of her pocket. The spell on her lips was a modification of one of his own. She hoped beyond all reason that it would not render his spell useless.

"Vulnera sanentur pudicitiam, vulnera sanentur pudicitiam, vulnera sanentur pudicitiam..." The rich red liquid that had soaked the floorboards receded back into his body, leaving behind a grey-silver stain that covered part of the area around him. She smiled to herself and uncorked another vial. This one, containing the anti-venom she had brewed as soon as Mr Weasley had been attacked, she poured straight down his throat, massaging him softly to make sure he swallowed every drop.

Three soft pops echoed in the silence as she opened a blood replenishing potion, a healing draught and a calming draught. His body shook and shuddered as the liquids poured down his throat. She moved behind him to cradle his head so that it wouldn't hit the floor as the seizure wracked his frail body. He began to moan in pain and she murmured softly to him, trying to calm him down. At the sound of her voice his eyes snapped open and he opened his mouth, screaming in pain.

"Sir, sir you have to calm down! Professor! Professor Snape!" Hermione tried shouting his name to calm him down but his eyes remained unfocussed and his screams did not abate. She shook her head, ready with an apology for what she had to do. "Severus Tobias Snape you shut up right now! We don't have time for this!" She knew she was channeling Molly Weasley but was thrilled when his mouth snapped shut and he fixed her with a glare.

"Miss...Granger...?" His voice was husky, strained from his screaming but his eyes were finally clear.

"Professor Snape, we can't draw any attention to ourselves. I...I need to get back to the Battle. And it's not safe for you. No one knows you are alive. I mean...that is...no one can know..." Her eyes were damp with unshed tears as she looked down at him.

"I...understand..." he licked his lips and, without meaning to, she watched the motion as if it was the last thing she would ever see. She moved to reach for her wand and his brow creased. He was wrong. He didn't understand. She smiled sadly.

"No...I mean, _no one_ can know..." she handed him her wand. "I'm sure you know the spell..."

Severus took the wand from her and blinked rapidly. He moistened his lips again as he shuffled to sit up, the potions making his body ache but not hurt any longer. He didn't want to be alone again. He couldn't do it. He had spent too long alone. He needed someone. Anyone. Her...

"Professor Snape? Please...you need to do this...it isn't safe...please..." she looked at him with desperation in her eyes and he knew she was right. It would not be safe for her, for him, for anyone if they found out he was alive. The Order wanted to kill him. The Dark Lord _had_ killed him. No one wanted him alive. And yet...

"Miss Granger...why did you bring me back?" He watched her as she licked her lips and lowered her eyes.

"Too many people were dying...too many...I needed to save someone and...there was only one person I wanted to save and knew I could..." her voice was soft and hitched slightly.

"Wanted? You...wanted...to save me?"

"I...yes...yes I wanted to save you. You...Sir, by the end of tonight you will have no Master. And you can have your own life." She looked at him and moved towards him, kneeling in front of him and placed her hand on his shoulder, looking into his eyes. He blinked again and his eyes flickered to her lips. As if in a trance, he leaned towards her and brushed her lips with his own. He pulled back as her lips parted on a gasp, closed his eyes and took a breath.

"Obliviate..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awards and medals are given. A statue is unveiled. Hermione believes things are changing and she might finally get a quiet year at Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...so this chapter totally got away with me...LOL...  
> Firstly, thank you to my lovely reviewers and those that left me Kudos. I think I may have cried once or twice. <3 I appreciate every word.  
> Secondly, Chapters two and three were originally written as one chapter until I realised that it was about three times the length I intended and needed to be split up.

Three months later

The crowd in the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry was solemn in their grief. Conversation ebbed and flowed, friends offering condolences to families who had lost so much. Hermione Granger looked around and saw Slytherins supporting Ravenclaws, Gryffindors holding the hands of Hufflepuffs and "Death Eater Sympathisers" with their arms around known "Children of the Light".

Through the sea of faces she caught a glimpse of three men she knew well heading in the same direction. She walked towards where their paths would cross, determined not to let the day be spoiled by a fight.

"Potter." Draco Malfoy's voice was soft and held almost no malice as he caught the eye of the dark headed wizard and his very ginger companion.

"Actually, it's Harry. Just...just Harry." Harry shifted his feet nervously and chewed his lip, his eyes flicking from Draco to Hermione and back again. Hermione gave a tentative smile at Ron, who held out his hand to her. They had spent a large portion of the summer together until only two weeks ago when she had finally tracked her parents down and travelled to Australia to see them. Some of that time had been spent rehearsing how they were going to approach setting things right at Hogwarts.

"Harry." Draco sounded like he was trying the name for the first time. Savouring it. He swallowed audibly. "I wanted to thank you for...for speaking for me at my trial. And for my mother. And..." he trailed off, took a breath and spoke calmly, "thank you for saving my life."

"You saved my life first. At the Manor. And your mother did so later. In the Forbidden Forest." Harry shrugged and gave a half-smile as he reached into his pocket. "I wanted to give you this." Harry held out Draco's wand and smiled properly. Draco's eyes lit up and he reached out for the wand just as Kingsley Shacklebolt walked onto the podium at the front of their assembly, a silence falling around them as the man commanded their respect without a word. The Minister cast a soft Sonorous and Draco's hand fell to his side as the man began to speak.

"Thank you all for coming today. There are two parts to today's ceremony. First, we shall be awarding the Order of Merlin to several people. And then we will be unveiling our Memorial Statue that will stand here in the grounds of Hogwarts for the foreseeable future as a reminder of all that we have lost and all that we have fought to keep." He paused with a sad smile and the crowd shuffled, a smattering of applause breaking the silence.

"First, we would like to award the Order of Merlin Third Class, to Misters George and Fred Weasley for their invention of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder which was invaluable to the Order of the Phoenix and the Aurors during the war." A soft round of applause from the crowd accompanied George's ascent onto the podium mostly drowning out Molly Weasley's soft tears for the loss of her son. George collected both the medals and shook Kingsley hand before descending and walking back to his mother.

"Secondly, for aiding at the Battle of Hogwarts as members of Dumbledore's Army, we are awarding the Order of Merlin Third Class to the following students: Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Dean Thomas, Colin Creevey, Ginevra Weasley, Katie Bell, Lee Jordan, Lavender Brown, Padma Patil, Parvati Patil, Seamus Finnegan, Susan Bones, Terry Boot and Zacharias Smith. We thank you for all you did." Kingsley nodded and smiled as each of the students made their way to the podium and collected their awards. Lavender Brown's father collected her award in her stead and Dennis Creevey proudly collected Colin's medal, lifting it skyward in salute.

"Thirdly, we would like to award Order of Merlin Third Class to two people who, according to the man who nominated them both, Harry Potter, sought to protect as many of the students as they could: Argus Filch, who found places for the students to hide, and Pansy Parkinson who, in the words of Mr Potter 'made sure I remembered it wasn't just about me...that the Battle would affect everyone.'" Draco choked slightly next to the Golden Trio as they clapped. Harry caught his eye and grinned.

"I'm not as...eloquent as that. Hermione said it." Harry whispered conspiratorially and winked at Draco as Pansy stumbled up to the podium, looking as flustered as he had ever seen her. Draco grinned and shot her a thumbs up, causing her to smile and roll her eyes, as she did every time he had tried to show her that he was just like the "common folk" she so despised. Harry looked at him with a crooked grin and then gave a thumbs up to Pansy, Ron and Hermione following his lead so that the four of them were standing together with goofy smiles plastered on their face and their thumbs up. She blinked at them, looking perplexed and then, as she walked back down from the podium, she stuck her tongue out and her thumb up for a split second.

"Now, before we come to the Order of Merlin Second Class, I would like to explain a little about these awards. In previous years, Order of Merlin's have been presented after committee nomination and voting. The Third Class we have just awarded were selected in exactly this way. The Second Class and First Class medals were all nominated by a member of the Golden Trio and, after their reasons were explained, unanimously voted for." Kingsley paused and smiled at the Trio, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Firstly, the Order of Merlin Second Class is to be awarded to the following active members of the Order of the Phoenix: Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley, Bill Weasley, Fleur Delacour-Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Percy Weasley, Fred Weasley and George Weasley. They fought bravely and strongly throughout the Wars and they helped the Golden Trio in, and I quote, 'a million ways through the years...including but not limited to actually teaching me about what it is to be a part of a family'." Harry saw Molly Weasley burst into tears as the whole family walked together up to the podium. Kingsley handed them their medals and they all grinned, though Molly's smile was more than a little watery. As the Weasley clan returned to the crowd there was a polite round of applause, led by Harry and Ron but followed swiftly by Kingsley, Hermione and even Draco.

"Secondly, the Order of Merlin Second Class is awarded to the following three people for their aid in 'making sure (I) survived long enough to see the end of the war": Arabella Figg, Dedalus Diggle and Elphias Doge.' Kingsley smiled and the older witch and wizards walked forward shyly, beaming from ear to ear. Harry started the applause and the whole of Dumbledore's Army joined in. Draco smiled and rolled his eyes, continuing the applause. Arabella Figg shuffled nervously before curtseying slightly as she descended the stage. Draco snorted slightly with amusement but managed to keep it soft so that very few people heard him. Hermione smiled at his discretion appreciatively.

"Thirdly, the Order of Merlin Second Class is awarded to the following people for their aid in protecting and preserving Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and 'helping me through my time learning what I needed to get to the end of the war': Aberforth Dumbledore, Filius Flitwick, Horace Slughorn, Oliver Wood, Olympe Maxime, Pomona Sprout and Sybill Trelawney." Kingsley smiled and the applause began in a corner of the crowd that had thus far remained fairly quiet. The applause rippled through the crowd as they received their medals.

"The Order of Merlin Second Class is also being posthumously awarded to the following people for 'services above and beyond the call of duty in a world where everything was beyond what was fair': Alastor Moody, Sirius Black and Nymphadora Tonks Lupin. We thank them for their sacrifice." A rousing round of applause came through the crowd and a few tears were wiped away.

"Finally, the Order of Merlin Second Class is being awarded to four people without whom 'the outcome of the War would have been an incredibly different thing...and would almost certainly have resulted in a world that no longer made sense': Luna Lovegood, who helped Harry Potter to find the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw and helped in the escape from Malfoy Manor, and the Longbottoms; Neville, for the destruction of the familiar Nagini, and Frank and Alice for their incredible strength in the face of a fate worse than death." The applause was almost deafening as Luna danced and Neville walked dazedly to collect their awards. Harry whistled and hollered and watched in amusement as Neville blushed scarlet. Luna gave Kingsley a big hug and laughed as she walked back into the crowd. Kingsley coughed and swiped his hand over his face as he tried not to laugh.

"Before we get to our final awards, I would like to invite Mr Harry Potter to the podium to present some very special commendations." The applause was almost deafening as Harry swallowed and stared at Hermione, who calmly unshrunk a piece of parchment from her pocket and handed it to him. He smiled gratefully and walked to the stage quickly. Hermione knew he hadn't looked at the parchment and hoped he wouldn't laugh at what she had written at the very bottom.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dedication of a statue. Hermione makes a realisation. And there were flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all! Thank you for all your comments. <3

"Thank you Minister Shacklebolt." Harry took a calming breath as he placed the parchment on the lectern in front of him and started to read. "When I first nominated the next two people for an Order of Merlin, I had no concept of what the Orders were for. I already knew some of the people who would be receiving the awards and understood why they would be receiving them but I had no concept of what each level actually meant. I didn't know that Third Class medals were for 'making a contribution to our store of knowledge or entertainment' but I do now. I didn't know that Second Class awards were for 'achievement or endeavour beyond the ordinary' but after a wonderful lecture...I am now aware of this fact." Harry paused and looked directly at Molly Weasley who had the good grace to blush at the mention of the lecture she had bestowed upon him only six weeks before.

"I also didn't know that the Order of Merlin First Class is awarded to those who exhibit 'acts of outstanding bravery or distinction'. To be honest, the only thing I did know was that people were going to be getting a nice medal to show how great they were. So when I nominated the people I did and explained my reasons, I was told that they didn't fit into any of the categories." Harry paused and smiled as Kingsley handed him two small blue boxes with the new medals he had had commissioned.

"It took Ron, Hermione and I a long time to agree on the name of these new medals. Unlike the Order of Merlin, they will not come with monetary recompense. They are simply meant as recognition for an extraordinary act of bravery which greatly affected the outcome of the war at great personal sacrifice. These are to be known as the Dumbledore Cross and are inscribed with one of my favourite things he ever said to me: 'It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities'." Harry grinned as he caught Hermione's eye, her thumbs up encouraging him to read the next part of the parchment.

"Ok...so...um...well...this speech was obviously not written by me. I'm useless at this stuff. But she has just put a comment now that says 'tell them all how wonderful I am and then get on with it and give the right people the recognition.' So thanks for that Hermione." The crowd laughed and turned to look at her smiling happily beside Ron. Harry took a deep breath and steadied his nerves.

"The people I want to give this new award to have both, in some way, made a choice that could have resulted in their death. They made a choice that others would not have made. I hope to call them friend and I am proud to give them this award. First, to the young man who had a chance to win favour and safety for his whole family and chose instead to put the rest of the Wizarding World ahead of himself, who insisted that he didn't know who I was even after we had been living in close quarters for six years, who had spent a fair amount of his time with his face pressed close to mine as he threatened me...Draco Malfoy." Harry smiled as he saw Draco's jaw drop. Hermione nudged him slightly and Ron nodded and grinned. Draco walked to the stage in a daze and walked towards Harry. Harry grinned at him, held out his hand and shook hands with the young man still staring at him. He handed over the medal and the wand that they had briefly shared. Draco glanced down at the medal and his eyes widened as he saw the engraving on the front.

"Is that...a Hippogriff foot?" Draco whispered softly, incredulously. Harry smiled softly.

"Officially it's a phoenix claw..." Harry whispered back before letting go of his hand and leaving the wand behind. Draco stumbled back towards the crowd and wondered who else would be receiving the award. The smattering of applause was subtle and Draco was thankful that he even received acknowledgement.

"The second person to receive this award was brave enough to lie directly to Lord Voldemort himself. Without her, the war would have ended without me. Narcissa Malfoy." Harry said nothing more, raising his eyes heavenward at the small squeak that came from where Narcissa stood. The beautiful woman walked towards the stage as Hermione, Ron and Draco started the applause that soon became deafening. As with all the evidence from the trials after the war, Narcissa's lie to Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest was public knowledge. Narcissa walked onto the stage, shook Harry's hand and accepted her award before very calmly pulling him into her arms and whispering in his ear. Harry blushed and hugged her back before she left him standing alone. He nodded to Kingsley and walked off the stage back to Hermione, Ron and Draco and grinned at them when they asked what she had said. He shook his head and smiled, nodded back towards the stage where Kingsley was back at the Lectern.

"Our final set of awards are Order of Merlin First Class. They are all being awarded for excellence during the Second War with particular emphasis on the fact that the War ended with their help only. Without their help the War would have been lost and none of us would be standing here today. Firstly, we award Remus Lupin and Severus Snape the Order of Merlin First Class posthumously. Secondly, to Minerva McGonagall and Rubeus Hagrid for 'facing demons they should never have to face'. A round of applause swept through the crowd as the new Headmistress of Hogwarts and the reinstated Groundskeeper and Keeper of the Keys ascended the stage together and received their awards. The applause continued until Kingsley raised his hand and smiled.

"Our last awards are being awarded for true excellence. The names are expected and I would also like to invite the three of them up to the stage together, as they have done everything else: Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger." Kingsley led the applause as the three young adults walked up to the podium and turned to face the crowd, smiling as they took in the proud looks on the faces of their friends and families. Hermione took a calming breath, knowing that her part in the ceremony was coming up. The Minister shook their hands and made space for them to move to the lectern. Hermione rolled her eyes as she walked to stand there alone, the boys standing nearer the statue that remained covered.

"Thank you Minister Shacklebolt, and we would like to extend our personal thanks to everyone who has been here today. We appreciate all of your efforts. This statue is to commemorate all the men, women and children who have died as a result of the two Wars with Lord Voldemort." Harry and Ron levitated the sheet off of the beautiful structure; a carved Phoenix made of Obsidian. There was a mild flicker of applause but Hermione mostly saw frowns. She had designed the structure herself and knew that it wouldn't make sense until she showed them everything it could do.

"The design was chosen because we have been reborn, remade, recreated after these wars. This statue is to show the rebirth entirely. There is a charm placed on it with a password which can be used by anyone. The password is inscribed on the base plinth but I want to show you how this works. The statue works with anyone who died in either War. It is imbued with memories of every person who was killed or presumed killed. Watch." Hermione pulled a few stalks of grass that she had hidden in her pocket, enlarged them and transfigured them into a bouquet of lilies and forget-me-nots. She smiled slightly and reached for the plinth of the statue, running her fingers over the words inscribed at the bottom. _"Gloria et vita in morte."_ The statue shifted and then there, in the circle of the tail of the phoenix, there hovered an image of the person she missed the most who had died during the war.

Unfortunately for Hermione, that person was none other than Severus Snape.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione wakes up on her Birthday and there were flowers...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh I am sorry it has taken so long. Next chapter will be quicker I promise. Thank you so much for the Kudos and reviews. They are my life right now.

Hermione Granger woke up on the 19th of September in the Girls Dorm at Hogwarts and smiled. Yes, she was 19 today and should have been ready to start facing the real world...or at least, that is what Ron had told her as they had argued again over her decision to return to the school. The down side of spending most of her life at school on her birthday was that, even though it was Saturday, she was still up unnecessarily early. She snuggled down under the duvet after casting a quick tempus charm. It was only 6am and her plans for the day weren't due to start until at least 3pm.

A slight tapping at the window caused her to grumble and smile to herself. It had to be an owl from her parents. They were the only ones who would ever know that she would be up this early. That gave her pause though. After all, her parents were in Australia. And didn't know she existed. She sighed softly to herself and slid out of the covers. Having forgotten to cast her standard Heating Charm, the feel of the stone on her feet made her suck in a breath. If she hadn't been awake before, she was now. The cold stone underneath her feet was almost unbearable and something she had quickly forgotten since first year when she had learned her heating charms.

She hadn't told the boys of course. That her trip to Australia had only confirmed that she was incredibly good at her memory modification spells and there was no known cure for Obliviate. Her parents were happy in Australia. They had settled in Kearns, a small town an hours drive outside of Sydney. They were happy, profitable and she didn't want to turn their lives upside down for a second time. At least, not until she could do so completely successfully. So the boys and all her friends believed that Hermione's parents had just chosen to stay in Australia and she would be visiting them regularly. In truth, she had no idea where she was going to disappear to when she was supposed to be visiting them. They had sold their old house, her childhood home, having nothing to keep them in England and so now she was, technically speaking, homeless.

She opened the window and a sleek Short-eared Owl flew silently into the room, landing on her bed. Hermione frowned. Harry had replaced Hedwig with a Long-eared owl, as different from her as possible, and Ron still had Pig. This owl was neither of theirs but was obviously a pet and not an Owl Post worker. It was too well kept, its feathers too soft and its temperament as it observed her far too stoic and calm. The owl did not pace or hoot as it waited for her but blinked lazily as she walked towards it. She sat gently on the bed and reached abstractedly for her owl treats on the bedside table.

Hermione smiled as she reached for the shrunken package attached to the owl's leg, further proof that this wasn't from the boys. They would be seeing her tonight and so they would most likely only be sending her a card by post, if they even remembered that. She couldn't think who else it could possibly be from as the owl nipped her fingers lightly taking the treat with a soft 'boo-boo' noise, identifying it as male, before it flew out the window, not waiting for a response.

The frown that marred Hermione's features softened slightly as she began performing diagnostic spells on the package. She had become more cautious since the end of the war when it came to her post after one too many letters laced with Amortentia made their way to the breakfast table. Other than the obvious Shrinking Charm and Protective Charms to stop the package getting damaged, she could only find one other spell and it wasn't one she knew. She considered taking the package directly to Professor Flitwick, or the new Defence teacher Professor Winters, but she instinctively knew that the magic wasn't Dark. It felt...comfortable. Familiar.

She re-sized the package and stared at the plain brown paper with its slightly spiky black writing. The writing felt familiar too though she couldn't place it. It invoked memories of...something. The thought fluttered away from her grip, just out of reach as she slowly opened the package. Unlike the boys, she liked to take her time. The anticipation had always been the best part of presents for her. Inside the package, two brightly wrapped presents lay next to each other - one was small, square and hard, the other soft and flexible like it was most likely to be clothing of one sort or another.

She frowned. The boys would never have bought her clothing. They had tried to buy her a set of robes for the new school year and she had laughed from how wrong they had got it. The robes had been at least 4 inches too long and about two sizes too large. They had also been an absolutely hideous dusty purple colour that didn't suit her at all. The boys had taken one look at her, handed her the receipt and told her to charge anything to Harry's account.

As an unofficial "Eighth Year" student, one of only a handful of returning students, Hermione was permitted to wear any colour of robes she wanted as long as they were not too bright. She generally wore either a dark blue that complimented her eyes or a sage green if she was heading to Potions that day as she had been informed she would need them for the potentially caustic and dangerous potions they would be brewing.

Hermione reached for the smaller square package and unwrapped it slowly, savouring the crinkle of the paper. She was amused to find that the paper was thicker than average, denoting a higher quality of paper than any of her friends would have used. There was no card, no note, nothing to identify who it was from. The little square box landed in her hand and she ran her fingers over it.

It was made of metal and engraved with tiny flowers, Asters, her birth flower. She traced one of the flowers petals delicately and watched as the metal glowed slightly. A word appeared on the border of the box and she frowned. It wasn't a spell she recognised and there weren't many of those left. _Immemoris,_ she whispered the word that appeared and gasped as the box began to glow, floating an inch or two above her hand. The box split open and a small silver-blue light floated out. The light hovered in her eye line before floating to the bedside table where it flashed blue and turned into a beautiful crystal vase with forget-me-nots in a large bouquet. The metal box closed up in her hand and shrank, becoming a tiny pendant and fine chain, the Aster turning a deep purple-blue colour. Hermione stared at the pendant, desperate to put it on and yet wary. It had to have been sent with some powerful magics on it and that worried her. Maybe she would take it to the Professors later. Just in case.

She reached for the second package and peeled the paper apart slowly. She recognised that there were two items shrunk down and rapidly removed the shrinking charm, the glimpse of the material exciting her more than it should. The first item she picked up was a pair of very fine Dragonhide gloves in the same sage green as her Potions robes. The tag attached by the manufacturer claimed they were the "lightest and most durable" Master's Grade gloves in the world. She felt the material and smiled. They were luxurious and, she could tell, hideously expensive. Tucked inside one was a slip of parchment and, hoping it was a note from the mysterious person who had bought them for her, she pulled the parchment out to read.

"These gloves carry the following charms as standard: warming, acid-repelling, pus-repelling, anti-coagulation and level 2 cleaning and purifying charms. By request, this pair is also imbued with: anti-poison, anti-venom, anti-irritation, anti-allergy, level 4 cleaning and purifying charms and anti-tamper charms." _Well_ , she thought, _it's lovely someone cares but decidedly unhelpful in finding out who._ She rolled her eyes at herself and reached for the second piece of fabric. She flicked the material out and it expanded. She flicked it a second time and it took shape. Hermione's jaw dropped. It was the dress.

Before the start of term, Hermione had taken her routine trip to London to pick up her new school things and had walked through Muggle London to the cafe her parents had always taken her to on their shopping trip for school supplies. In the shop opposite, she had seen _the_ dress. It was a stunning purple-blue, the same colour as the Aster on her new pendant, and made entirely of chiffon. The bodice was a corset-style, laced in back with a hidden zip on the left side of the dress proving the ribbons a lie. The skirt flared at the waist, falling into a knee-length asymmetrical skirt with a beaded faux belt to hide the seam. She had tried it on and fallen in love but, having no intention of going to any Ministry events she didn't have to, she had no occasion to wear it and so had reluctantly put it back on the rail and left the shop. No one knew about the dress. She had kept it her secret, deciding that if she had the money at the end of the school year it would be her graduation present to herself. Who could have known?

Obviously her mystery gifter had a penchant for blue. The forget-me-nots, the Aster pendant and now the dress. Now she just had to work out who had given her such lovely things. Smiling happily, she headed to the showers, taking some casual clothes with her to start the day early. After all, she had a mystery to solve. She needed a good breakfast. And a lot of time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast and another gift from a new friend...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry this has taken so long to update. I have recently (January) started going blind in my left eye and the doctors don't know why. It means sometimes I cannot write/do anything at all. Plus I'm busy with regular appointments to try to find out what is wrong.
> 
> Anyway, have another chapter. Comments are loved and very much appreciated and help me get through the bad days. <3

It was too early for most people to be in the Great Hall when Hermione finished her shower and headed to breakfast. There were two fifth years sitting together at the Ravenclaw table giggling and gossiping and a couple of Slytherin students she didn't recognise at the far end of the Hall. Eighth Year students had their own table though and so she headed to the table and sat on the slightly raised chair. As so few students had returned for Eighth Year, their table did not have the same benches as the House tables and instead had proper chairs, similar to the ones the Professors sat at for meals.

Hermione took a deep breath as the plates in front of her began to fill up with food. She knew she would need a good breakfast but she had never really enjoyed eating before 9am. Two slices of toast spread with butter and marmite felt like a good choice and she filled her goblet with orange juice. A soft thud sounded at her elbow as she bit into her toast and her head whipped round in surprise. Malfoy...Draco was standing next to her, a slight crinkling by his eyes the only outward sign that he was smiling at her jumpiness.

"Morning Granger. Or should I say Happy Birthday..." Draco sat beside her, shuffling his chair a little away from her so that they weren't too cramped together. He nudged the package that sat at her elbow, the source of the thud that had startled her out of her reverie.

"You remembered?" Hermione grinned at him and flushed slightly.

"Of course. I have a good head for dates. Plus I don't think Ginevra has shut up about your party tonight all week." Draco's eyes twinkled as he laughed slightly in a way that reminded her of Dumbledore. She had come to know the boy quite well and, as they were two of the more studious Eighth Years, they studied together often. He helped her with her Arithmancy and she helped him with Defence. The irony of the latter did not escape either of them.

"You are still coming aren't you? Its not like we'll be the only ones there. I know you think you won't be welcome but I really do want you there." She smiled at him as she turned the gift in her hands, knowing full well it would be a book. It was always a book.

"Granger, I know you are clever but you can't psychically guess what it is by holding it." Draco laughed again. He did that a lot. Hermione saw the pain in his eyes often but only because they had come to spend so much time together. "Yes. I'll come to your party. Just for a little while." Hermione smiled at him as he took his first slice of toast and began to butter it, liberally adding raspberry jam to the slice. She unwrapped the gift slowly and carefully, the plush wrapping paper not as extravagant as the paper from the earlier gift. She turned the book, for of course that is what it was, over in her hands and read the title.

"[i]Of Darkness and Light; a true depiction of all forms of Magic[/i], by Banagher Montgomery." She squealed slightly as she threw her arms around Draco. She had seen a copy in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library but had never been able to convince any of her professors to let her read it. Draco patted her back firmly and then pushed her away lightly.

"It's not [i]quite[/i] the same as the copy in the Hogwarts Library. This one has some annotations I'm afraid." Draco smiled at her and she opened the book to the first page. Written at the top was "Property of Armand Malfoy, 1107" and half way down the page a very small notation stated "First Edition with regards BM". "Turns out, Armand Malfoy was friends with Montgomery and has the only remaining first edition copy of the book. It's annotated by various Malfoys and one or two friends of the Malfoy family also." Draco smiled as Hermione screeched and started flicking through, noticing the blue and black writing. A flash of red spiky writing caught her eye about half way through the book and she stopped, staring at the familiar handwriting. Of course she knew that Severus Snape was a friend of the Malfoys but she had not realised quite how close they were. She smiled softly at the idea of the man poring over the book the same way she hoped to.

"Oh Draco. Thank you. You don't understand how much that means...thank you so much." Her eyes welled with tears of joy at the thought that Draco had thought about her. It was funny that they had spent so long being, well, as close to enemies as anyone with all their body parts as two people could be when they were so very alike.

"What's that around your neck? That's new..." She reached her hand up and felt the pendant of the necklace that she had placed in her pocket securely. She moved her hands hurriedly to the back of her neck, searching desperately for the clasp. The necklace felt warm but the clasp was nowhere to be found. She pulled on the necklace, a sense of panicked dread filling her as the necklace heated up, a droning sound filling her head as she yanked as hard as she could, the chain cutting into her skin.

Draco saw her distress and she watched with horror as he reached to help her take the necklace off. The second his hand touched the chain she felt a white hot pain cut off her breathing and fell backwards, her chair clattering to the ground as she choked for air. Her heas hit the ground with a crack and all she knew was the blessed relief of blackness.


End file.
